Activity and Selectivity Trends in Synthesis Gas Conversion to Higher Alcohols

Ceria-Based Catalysts Studied by Near Ambient Pressure X-ray Photoelectron Spectroscopy: A Review

The development of better catalysts is a passionate topic at the forefront of modern science, where operando techniques are necessary to identify the nature of the active sites. The surface of a solid catalyst is dynamic and dependent on the reaction environment and, therefore, the catalytic active sites may only be formed under specific reaction conditions and may not be stable either in air or under high vacuum conditions. The identification of the active sites and the understanding of their behaviour are essential information towards a rational catalyst design. One of the most powerful operando techniques for the study of active sites is near ambient pressure X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy (NAP-XPS), which is particularly sensitive to the surface and sub-surface of solids. Here we review the use of NAP-XPS for the study of ceria-based catalysts, widely used in a large number of industrial processes due to their excellent oxygen storage capacity and well-established redox properties.

Understanding Structure-Property Relationships of MoO3-Promoted Rh Catalysts for Syngas Conversion to Alcohols

Rh-based catalysts have shown promise for the direct conversion of syngas to higher oxygenates. Although improvements in higher oxygenate yield have been achieved by combining Rh with metal oxide promoters, details of the structure of the promoted catalyst and the role of the promoter in enhancing catalytic performance are not well understood. In this work, we show that MoO₃-promoted Rh nanoparticles form a novel catalyst structure in which Mo substitutes into the Rh surface, leading to both a 66-fold increase in turnover frequency and an enhancement in oxygenate yield. By applying a combination of atomically controlled synthesis, in situ characterization, and theoretical calculations, we gain an understanding of the promoter-Rh interactions that govern catalytic performance for MoO₃-promoted Rh. We use atomic layer deposition to modify Rh nanoparticles with monolayer-precise amounts of MoO₃, with a high degree of control over the structure of the catalyst. Through in situ X-ray absorption spectroscopy, we find that the atomic structure of the catalytic surface under reaction conditions consists of Mo-OH species substituted into the surface of the Rh nanoparticles. Using density functional theory calculations, we identify two roles of MoO₃: first, the presence of Mo-OH in the catalyst surface enhances CO dissociation and also stabilizes a methanol synthesis pathway not present in the unpromoted catalyst; and second, hydrogen spillover from Mo-OH sites to adsorbed species on the Rh surface enhances hydrogenation rates of reaction intermediates.

Accessing the C-C transition state energy on transition metals

The search for catalysts that can efficiently convert large hydrocarbons has been an active area of research for decades. To gain insight into those reactions, electronic structure calculations are playing an increasing role but the screening efforts are impeded by the complexity of the reaction networks that can contain hundreds of elementary steps, presenting a large number of computationally expensive transition state barrier calculations. A large number of the sub reactions in the network involve C-C bond dissociation, a step that has been identified as rate determining in many studies. The purpose of this article is to present a methodology that allows for accurate and rapid assessment of transition state energies for C-C bond breaking in any hydrocarbon based on a small number of simple calculations. Our model significantly enhances the capability of expanding the search space for new and efficient catalysts.

Atomic-Scale Observation of the Metal-Promoter Interaction in Rh-Based Syngas-Upgrading Catalysts

The direct conversion of syngas to ethanol, typically using promoted Rh catalysts, is a cornerstone reaction in CO₂ utilization and hydrogen storage technologies. A rational catalyst development requires a detailed structural understanding of the activated catalyst and the role of promoters in driving chemoselectivity. Herein, we report a comprehensive atomic-scale study of metal-promoter interactions in silica-supported Rh, Rh-Mn, and Rh-Mn-Fe catalysts by aberration-corrected (AC) TEM. While the catalytic reaction leads to the formation of a Rh carbide phase in the Rh-Mn/SiO₂ catalyst, the addition of Fe results in the formation of bimetallic Rh-Fe alloys, which further improves the selectivity and prevents the carbide formation. In all promoted catalysts, Mn is present as an oxide decorating the metal particles. Based on the atomic insight obtained, structural and electronic modifications induced by promoters are revealed and a basis for refined theoretical models is provided.

A meta-analysis of catalytic literature data reveals property-performance correlations for the OCM reaction

Decades of catalysis research have created vast amounts of experimental data. Within these data, new insights into property-performance correlations are hidden. However, the incomplete nature and undefined structure of the data has so far prevented comprehensive knowledge extraction. We propose a meta-analysis method that identifies correlations between a catalyst’s physico-chemical properties and its performance in a particular reaction. The method unites literature data with textbook knowledge and statistical tools. Starting from a researcher’s chemical intuition, a hypothesis is formulated and tested against the data for statistical significance. Iterative hypothesis refinement yields simple, robust and interpretable chemical models. The derived insights can guide new fundamental research and the discovery of improved catalysts. We demonstrate and validate the method for the oxidative coupling of methane (OCM). The final model indicates that only well-performing catalysts provide under reaction conditions two independent functionalities, i.e. a thermodynamically stable carbonate and a thermally stable oxide support.

The incomplete nature and undefined structure of the existing catalysis research data has prevented comprehensive knowledge extraction. Here, the authors report a novel meta-analysis method that identifies correlations between a catalyst’s physico-chemical properties and its performance in a particular reaction.

Tunable syngas production from photocatalytic CO2 reduction with mitigated charge recombination driven by spatially separated cocatalysts

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction represents a sustainable route to generate syngas (the mixture of CO and H2), which is a key feedstock to produce liquid fuels in industry. Yet this reaction typically suffers from two limitations: unsuitable CO/H2 ratio and serious charge recombination. This paper describes the production of syngas from photocatalytic CO2 reduction with a tunable CO/H2 ratio via adjustment of the components and surface structure of CuPt alloys and construction of a TiO2 mesoporous hollow sphere with spatially separated cocatalysts to promote charge separation. Unlike previously reported cocatalyst-separated hollow structures, we firstly create a reductive outer surface that is suitable for the CO2 reduction reaction. A high evolution rate of 84.2 μmol h-1 g-1 for CO and a desirable CO/H2 ratio of 1 : 2 are achieved. The overall solar energy conversion yield is 0.108%, which is higher than those of traditional oxide and sulfide based catalysts (generally about 0.006-0.042%). Finally, density functional theory calculations and kinetic experiments by replacing H2O with D2O reveal that the enhanced activity is mainly determined by the reduction energy of CO* and can be affected by the stability of COOH*.

Microkinetic Analysis and Scaling Relations for Catalyst Design

Microkinetic analysis plays an important role in catalyst design because it provides insight into the fundamental surface chemistry that controls catalyst performance. In this review, we summarize the development of microkinetic models and the inclusion of scaling relationships in these models. We discuss the importance of achieving stoichiometric and thermodynamic consistency in developing microkinetic models. We also outline how analysis of the maximum rates of elementary steps can be used to determine which transition states and adsorbed intermediates are kinetically significant, allowing the derivation of general reaction kinetics rate expressions in terms of changes in binding energies of the relevant transition states and intermediates. Through these analyses, we present how to predict optimal surface coverages and binding energies of adsorbed species, as well as the extent of potential rate improvement for a catalytic system. For systems in which the extent of potential rate improvement is small because of limitations imposed by scaling relations, different approaches, including the addition of promoters and formation of catalysts containing multiple functionalities, can be used to break the scaling relations and obtain further rate enhancement.

Insights into structure and dynamics of (Mn,Fe)Ox-promoted Rh nanoparticles

The mutual interaction between Rh nanoparticles and manganese/iron oxide promoters in silica-supported Rh catalysts for the hydrogenation of CO to higher alcohols was analyzed by applying a combination of spectroscopy and microscopy.

Highlights from Faraday Discussion on Designing Nanoparticle Systems for Catalysis, London, UK, May 2018

The 2018 Faraday Discussion on “Designing Nanoparticle Systems for Catalysis” brought together leading scientists to discuss the current state-of-the-art in the fields of computational chemistry, characterization techniques, and nanomaterial synthesis, and to debate the challenges and opportunities going forward for rational catalyst design.